KBS’s new “human medical drama” Green Scalpel has confirmed that Joo-won has signed on to take the leading role. He’ll be reuniting with Ojakkyo Brothers PD Ki Min-soo, and starring as an autistic surgeon who’s genius-level gifted, but has the personality of a ten-year old. With Green Scalpel headed to Mondays and Tuesdays and Uhm Tae-woong’s Sword and Flower set to air on Wednesdays and Thursdays, it’s going to be one happy (and busy) summer for the hyung/dongseng pair.

The new medical drama from writer Park Jae-bum of forensic procedural God’s Quiz stars Joo-won as a miner’s son, who witnessed domestic violence from his father beginning at a very young age. He has a developmental disorder that’s a type of autism, and gets a specialized education at a care center, where they find that he’s a savant. He has genius tendencies, an exceptional memory, and has a keen perception of space within the human body. Well hello there, convenient savant trait. Should come in handy on the operating table.

With the help of a guardian, he eventually becomes a pediatric surgery resident, which is where the bulk of the story will take place. I have no idea how likely all this is in real life, but it sure does make for a good dramatic arc. He’ll also have the personality and social skills of a fourth-grader, so that ought to provide some nice comedy mixed in with all the heartwarming human drama.

The production is full-steam ahead with casting now that Joo-won is confirmed for the lead — Joo Sang-wook is still being courted as a rival doctor, and the search is on for the female lead.

And I am in too! Thanks GF for the update. Just when I was thinking of watching less dramas, until Heirs begins, *sigh* I am still debating whether I will fully watch MGY and KB’s drama or just check some episodes. So many good dramas (at least the synopsis), so little time.

I find the plot very interesting, and I am intrigued. I am looking forward to this.

YAYYYY Joo Won’s back. I was so into the first couple episodes of Level 7…but my excitement waned halfway through. I really hope he gets an actress closer to his age (don’t get me wrong I love Choi Kang Hee, I just couldn’t see a romantic connection at all).

I have some hopes if its the writer of Gods Quiz – I enjoyed all three seasons although the ending of each season often feels jarring. Hoping he/she works that out.

Also, yay Joowon! Have been staying away from the hot mess that purports itself to be the current season of 2D1N (seriously??) so glad to see him and TW in fresh stuff that I can hopefully watch without cringing (although I would so much rather watch 2D1N if they can BRING BACK the magic. C’mon! How hard could it be!)

Yes to this news. Awesome summer for me. Uhm Tae Woong and Joo Won back on small screen.

Love love love Joo Won and Joo Sang Wook in one drama.

I heard Jung Ryeo Won’s name mentioned, Jung Ryeo Won is OK, one good choice, she’s a noona to Joo Won. Too many noona for him lately, Kim Ah Joong is also like 5 or 6 years, Ivy his partner in musical in November is like 10 or 11 years…

this looks very promising. ^^ and the casts and potential casts are widely known too, added up with great director and writer, i think it’s bound to be a good drama.

i’m glad joowon is taking up this challenge. this is totally something out of ordinary than what he was accustomed to, so this is like a breath of fresh air for him. and i hope to be along for the ride, watching him grow up to be an amazing actor.

JOOWON, YOU MUST GET SOME SLEEP AND LOTS OF FOOD TO EAT! IF I SEE YOU GET THINNER, I WILL FLY OVER TO KOREA, KIDNAP YOU, AND FEED YOU MYSELF!!!

The good news never stops! TQ!
I can hear your voice. Sword and Flower. Empire of Gold. Heirs. Now this!

Lee JS n Yoonie in Voice. The other Lee Min Ho in Sword n Flower. Go Soo in Empire of Gold. Kim Won Bin n the Other Lee Min Ho in Heirs. And Joowonie in Green Scalpel. Who needs to go on summer vacation? I’m not traveling this summer. So much pretty it’ll fry my brain. 😉

For Bridal Mask, they having a hard time searching for Oh Mok Dan and one day the Director show few picture of Jin Se Yeon to Joo Won and he agreed and says that she is suitable for the pure Oh Mok Dan.

and for Level 7 grader, few names suggested for the leading lady, but once he heard Choi Gang Hee’s name, he said yes to Choi Gang Hee. Hehehe. Choi Gang Hee even thanks Joo Won for the opportunity.

The surprising aspect is CKH had done her last drama in 2005 at MBC and she gets chosen as JW’s female lead in 7LCS in 2013 at the same network. But the best part —– the second lead of that drama in 2005 was Kim Ah Joong who is currently JW’s female lead in the movie Only You 😀

His “picking” his costars can cause rumors. I remember that back in 2006, Uhm Tae Woong picked Han Ji Min as his costar in Wolf (they had acted together in Resurrection in 2005) and that caused love rumors between the two.
However, I don’t want him to pick Choi Kang Hee. It’s not because I don’t like her; it’s because I think that he would do better with a younger person like Park Shin Hye etc.

Sometimes, things get lost in translation. Interviews and entertainment news are best taken with a pinch of salt.

I do not think that Joo Won makes the final decision or anything close to it. It could just mean that they show him some photos or suggested a few names and ask for his opinion or preference. And it so happened the casting people chose that actress in the end.

Joo Won in a medical drama,eh? Colour me excited! 😀 On a side note though, DOES HE EVEN GET ANY REST AT ALL? Poor maknae working his ass off from one project to another. Well, it’d be great to see him redeem himself in this project after the-drama-that-shall-not-be-named.

I would not exactly say that Joo Won has to redeem himself after 7th Level Civil Servant. That drama was a disappointment, not because of Joo Won nor any of the cast. The weak and senseless storyline, poor editing and directing did it in. Most characters were poorly written and so was Gilro’s. In a rom-com, when you do not have witty lines and well written comic scenes, the actor may have to compensate through more exaggerated facial expressions. To his credit, Joo Won managed to make Gilro an adorable character. It’s not his best showing but a very credible one and a good first outing in a comic role

Same here. Also, if I ever learned that my surgeon was autistic and had the personality/ mindset of a 4th grader, I’d either find a different doctor or sue the hospital. No offense meant, but this plot sound super far-fetched and hard for me to accept.

Would be better if it were about a normal guy who is immature and often compared to a child (maturity wise). Just my opinion.

I personally abhor petulant and immature male leads (the developmentally normal ones of course who have no excuse for their behavior) so I wish the writer had found some other medical issues to explore… and maybe with a male lead who acts his age?

Or a female med student/resident who is neither bubbly nor incurably stupid.

16.1.1.1.2 GalaMay 28th, 2013 at 11:33 AM

That’s when suspension of belief comes in.

I don’t mind the plot, but I’d prefer for this drama not to have any romantic plots at all.

17 SintiaMay 28th, 2013 at 5:40 AM

“With Green Scalpel headed to Mondays and Tuesdays and Uhm Tae-woong’s Sword and Flower set to air on Wednesdays and Thursdays, it’s going to be one happy (and busy) summer for the hyung/dongseng pair”.

Wait a minute GF. You say they are going to give a genius with the personality of a 10 year old a scalpel!? That’s like having DWAWG’s Junsu cutting extremely precisely someone’s body open then reveling in the guts inside. Funny in some ways TERRIFYING in others! And JW as that little JW. creeptastic!

Autism is a vague word to use.I assume that Joo Won’s character is a savant with Asperger syndrome.It is a form of high functioning Autism.People with Asperger syndrome are normal,but have difficulties in communication and social interactions.Their behaviors are repetitive and sometimes clumsy.They may not know the how the other feel.Nieve and lack common sense.This explains why he will be behaving like a child.I don’t know how the story will go but it should be okay for a person with Asperger syndrome to be a doctor.Anything can happen in drama land.After all ,he is genius(minus interviews to get into medical school)

Ugh. I am so ready to move on from “genius ___ with no social skills blunders through the lives of others, and is a hero by dint of geniusness”. I don’t object to aneuroty
pical characters – in fact, it might really help (remember Buy Guy?). But I’m sick to DEATH of this archetype, and dressing it in scrubs (again!) is not making me happier.

Was Level 7 .. that bad?
It seems like it was quite popular (not as Joowon’s previous dramas) but not terrible/completely bombed.
I just became a fan of Joowon and he looks adorable in the trailers unlike his usual serious/cold characters

From my subjective view, yeah, it was that bad, fairly unwatchable for a viewer with around 4 years of kdramaland experience under its belt, like me. I did a lot of skimming, fast forwarding after episode 4… I wish it was so bad that’s good, but naaah…reminded me, in terms of nonsensical plot, of Marry me Mary.

The drama seems to be popular online because Joo-won was its main lead, and maybe because of Chasung too, but mainly it’s known around these parts as an awfully awful drama. Not even the main pair could save it partially, like it happens sometimes with badly written shows, example, My Princess or Mary. I could add their chemistry was quite non-existent, so it got problemtic for a rom-com. the comedy was missing too for the most part, but not the dumb factor. Oh, dear!

So yeah, it was baaad, unmentionably bad. Just hope Green Scalpel deletes from my memory Joo-won acting and character from Level who? and replaces it with something awesome.

i don’t think that drama really bad, i watchmany korean drama too n h i hardly to finish rom-com but i finish level 7. It’s not the best drama n compare to another joo won drama it’s not as good as his other drama. For me the early episode around 6 episode is really good n then drop but i still enjoy the comedic side of this drama n the last episode is the best ending for rom com, the other drama last episode is the most predictable n uninteresting

Well usually male leads in K-drama’s don’t take their age so at least with Joo Won’s role here he actually has a legit reason as to why his the way he is.
I remember one of my favorite characters from Boston Legal was Jerry who suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome/Tourette’s Syndrome and he was an attorney so I’m going to make the assumption that his character will have a high functioning form of autism along the same line as this character.
The show sounds promising though and it’s a great way for Joo Won to once again try something new and expands his repertoire as an actor.

I can honestly say that this is likely to be my first medical drama, I tend to avoid that genre only because I can’t handle if they show a graphic scene. But I’m willing to watch through my hands if Joo Won is in it. 😀

pfft, the plot is as realistic as the hearing voices drama with lee jong seok.

pet peeve cause i work with autistic children, but people have no idea what it actually means and this makes me mad. i can’t make myself watch anything advertised this way cause i see families struggling with real issues of behavior, development and emotional delay. but american and international TV and movies just don’t deal with it in an appropriate manner. ugh, i can’t with stuff like this anymore.

I haven’t finished any Joo-won dramas, but I think I’ll still give this one a go 😀 Hopefully my brain can shut off and not critique it too much because it seems highly unrealistic, butttt I’m up for it!

Totally excited about this drama, the premise sounds interesting, I trust Joo won’s acting skills. I’m a bit worried about how packed his schedule is; his movie, musical, 1n2d..etc. I hope he can manage!

I’ll tune in for this drama because the plot/story and character seems like something actors love that can elevate a career to new heights. I’m glad Joo Won is heading back to TV soon, but this boy needs a vacation pronto or he is going to burn out.

I usually love Joo Won, since he can make you feel a lot of emotions even in short scenes. I liked L7CS, but had to shut my brain off and enjoy it for the romantic silly fluff it was. The romance between Choi Kang Hee and Joo Won just was not there either and that didn’t help the drama, so I hope he gets a more age appropriate lead actress with some chemistry this time around.

I’m going to love seeing the serious and playful sides of Joo Won for this new role. I also think that the lead actress will probably be friend zoned (or be in some one sided love) since Joo Won’s main character is an autistic man w/ the personality of a 10 year old. Here’s hoping this drama does better than L7CS.

I don’t6 believe in telepathy, but I’ll believe in mind-reading cops long before I’d believe that any sane person would let a grown man with an apparent mental illness into an operating room, let alone operate on his or her body. And who on earth let this peculiar person into medical school? How did someone with the personality of a ten-year old managed to get top grades through a dozen years of the most grueling kind of bookish education?

he may not take the exam in a school like everyone else, and are possibly home schooled or something. and he does have a very good long-term memory. he possibly memorizes all those medical books and scores perfectly for his theoretical examination. it’s the practical examination that i’m curious about.

the synopsis leaves out certain things so fans got curious and will check out the drama. well, i’m curious already. ^^ praying that the writing will be good.

I find I’m skeptical about the whole premise of the drama, but I guess I can give it a shot. (Not that I have much choice because we only get KBS World and are too cheap to spring for the other channels :p )

There should totally be a crossover at some point, even if it’s only a dream sequence – Uhm Tae-woong, in all his sageuk glory, facing off against Joo-won’s modern-day doctor with the mentality of a 10-year-old.

I really, REALLY hope that just because he plays a character who has the personality of a 10-year old, that he won’t actually play it as a 10-year old trapped in a grown man’s body. As much as the above characters sound the same, they are NOT the same. Having the personality of a 10-year old means his character is innocent, curious, honest, and child-like. Whereas the other one portrays a man who talks in a high-pitched voice and doesn’t know where babies come from. PLEASE DON’T LET HIM PLAY THE LATTER CHARACTER!!! >.<

You got a point. This drama will need awesome writing, directing and acting to succeed. I have not watched God’s Quiz but after reading the comments from fans of the show, my hopes are lifted although I still cannot see how Joo Won’s character can be a surgeon.

As for the character, it will have to depend on how it’s written, the actor’s interpretation and delivery and directing. It will awful if the character talks in a high-pitched voice like you said but your description of the latter doesn’t quite match an autistic person either. I think an autistic person has impaired social interaction or cognition skills. So he may be an adult but his development in this area is that of a 10 year old. In this sense, he will be a 10 year old trapped in an adult’s body. But that doesn’t mean he will speak in a baby voice or not know where babies come from.

I went to watch snippets of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, for which he won an Academy Award, he definitely spoke in a child-like voice. But if Joo Won is going to act out his role like that, he will be called out for overacting.

I love Cho Seung Woo’s portrayal in Marathon. But that character will not be capable of such a job like this one. So, I am waiting to see how this writer is going to present a believable story and characters. If done right, it will be awesome.

I’ve always been interested about savants so the premise alone sold me in. Joo Won would do well playing that since he’s like a child in 1N2D, he even kinda talks like a little kid.
I hope JOo Sang Wook would pick this one and wish he’s not in a hardcore villain territory because I want some hyung-dongsaeng bromance.